Based in a world ravaged by commercially driven genetic diseases, energy poverty, politics, ghosts and Cheshire cats, the Windup Girl makes for an interesting story in a country on the brink of civil war.

I like some of the ideas, the titular windup girl being an example, I like the intelligently written style, the character developments, the politics - the problem is the book takes 350 pages to get going, events then take over and some of the laboriously built up plot lines and characters just seem to be largely irrelevant - It is almost like 300 odd pages in Bacigalupi gets one of his mates to reads it who then complains it is boring - "Where is the blood, war, and armoured elephants?"

It feels like two books to me. One for those interested in discovering new future scenarios and one for people who just like blowing shit up. I like both, but found neither in this instance fully satisfying. It did keep my interest long enough to finish it though.

Maybe the next book will be better. (though sorry, 'Bacigalupi is the next William Gibson'? Really? Are you sure?)

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